18 comments:

Hi and thanks for this site. I'm somewhat computer retarted and have a few questions and hope you can help me. I live in the SF bay where I sail and have Navx on my macbook as well as my iphone and have been able to chart plot and upload NOAA charts. I'd like to buy an ipad and use it as my chartplotter when I head south to Mexico and further to south america. It seems I can buy Mexico charts through xtraverse, but I'm not sure which charts I would use further south. Navaronics is not supported by navx. Do I need to buy another software program? Thanks, chris

Welcome, you can buy Navionics charts for use in iNavX for your iPad. I presently use the Navionics 1XG all of USA and the N. Bahamas in iNavx on my iPad and it works great. Navionics has a 3XG Caribbean, Central and South America. Check this out to see if it covers the area you need.

In XTraverse make sure you list your device as iPad and software as iNavx. It will show you all the charts that are compatible.

Good luck and stop back soon. Support the site by becoming a follower and spread the word to your fellow boaters.

Ipurchased Navionics in May and now have iNavX both on my iPad. Can you explain why I would want to use iNavX to display my Navionics charts when that app seems to do the same things?...Regardless, do I understand correctly that iNavX does not actually provide charts, but rather only displays those created by other companies such as Navionics, and others...so is that the benefit? that you can use iNavx to display charts from lots of other sources, where Navionics is proprietary to its charts?

Thanks for any advice you can offer....

Eliza

PS, our dream is to sail the pacific coast, go through the canal and up the east coast...possibly across the atlantic and back...so those are the chart areas we would need.

iNavX is a great app and it does alot more than just display charts. It is the most full featured app in the Marine GPS charting area that I know of. The app's developer also has a site called xTraverse where you are able to buy charts for the app. The xTraverse site sells a variety of charts for many devices.

The Navionics app is a very full featured app too but lacks the features of displaying your yachts NMEA instrument data over a WiFi connection and AIS functions. If you have no need for those features Navionics is a great fit for you. There are many apps to choose from and different people like different apps for different reasons. That is why I have about 5 charting apps on my iPhone and iPad. The apps are cheap enough to allow you to use many of them and determine what features you like about each of them. In the end you will find a favorite as your go to app.

My top 3 are iNavX, SEAiq and Navionics. Navionics is quick and easy to use but if I want to use more advanced features I have iNavX and SEAiq running also. Don't feel your missing out if you like Navionics but if you find you need other advance features give the others try.

Thanks for your question! Become a follower of the blog and spread the word about my site to all your boating friends.

Your comment "The app's developer also has a site called xTraverse where you are able to buy charts for the app." is not entirely accurate. The X-Traverse site is not owned by the iNavX developer (Richard Ray) nor by MomentumLabs (dba "iNavX Studios, LLC"), the current owners of the iNavX/GPSNavX/MacENC product line. There is simply a distribution and fullfilment agreement between the two entities.

iNavX is the top rated app in my list of top marine charting apps. The NOAA raster charts are free to download. Navionics vector charts are purchased from the X-Traverse website and both can be used offline on your iPad or iPhone. iNavX has a north up and course following modes. Check out my tutorials for all the features. http://i-marineapps.blogspot.com/p/inavx-tutorial.html

I sail in the Cape Town, South Africa area. My US-based children gave me a GPS-equipped I-pad with iNavX software which I am trying to learn to use - with some success. I find the track of where I have been very insignificant (as if it has been drawn with a very sharp pencil) and difficult to see at a quick glance. How do I make it "fatter" (thicker) - drawn with a blunt pencil?

Welcome to the site, I hope you find it useful in mastering the many features of iNavX. Your children gave you a great gift. The iPad with iNavX is one of the most powerful marine charting apps on the market.

The track line thickness I think has been purposely made light so it is not confused with the Route line. The Track line however does not have a setting option to make it thicker. The settings are accessed by selecting the Gear icon in the upper right of the screen. There is an option to change the Track Color of the track line if that would help. You can select between dark blue, brown, magenta, light blue, yellow and black. Pick a color that contrasts with the chart you are viewing.

One way to look at your tracks is to export them to the Google Earth app. First download the Google Earth app. It may be easier to see the tracks on the Google Earth images. Select the Track selection from the bottom of the iNavX menu. Select Export, then Open In and it will then display other apps including the Google Earth app. Tap the Google Earth selection to open the track in that app. Google Earth requires an internet connection to view the images so this would not work off shore.

Thanks for the info on XTraverse. I thought I had done my research and made a connection between iNavX and xTraverse. Good to know they only have a distribution agreement. So noted appreciate the feedback!